It’s been a long road back for outfielder Marte
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — This time last year, Starling Marte was still working on strengthening his groin. Now, he’s finally back in action and feeling like the player he was before the 2022 double groin surgery.
The Mets outfielder played his first Grapefruit League game Wednesday at Clover Park, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout and playing three innings in right field. It’s far too early to be concerned about results for anyone other than the non-roster guys and prospects fighting to make the team out of camp. The focus for Marte is moving well in right field and getting necessary reps at the plate after sitting out part of the second half of 2023.
“I came to play, I came to play hard,” Marte said Wednesday through translator Alan Suriel. “All of the at-bats that I that I end up taking, I want to take them with actual intent. I also want to reintroduce myself to the player that I’ve always been. I want to go out there and continue to play just to just to get those reps in.”
Marte was healthy enough to get into a few winter ball games in his native Dominican Republic and a Mets contingent traveled to watch him. They were playoff games, but the stakes were relatively low for the 35-year-old. Playing in the Dominican Winter League was a way to get in some work before heading to spring training.
Since arriving, the Mets have taken the reins off of him. He isn’t being worked into drills or games slowly like last season and the pain in his legs is gone. A few months ago, the Mets weren’t sure what to make of Marte. They weren’t sure whether or not he would prevent runs or cost them runs in right field. They weren’t sure if he was capable of producing offense at the rate he did in 2022 when he was named an All-star and earned NL MVP votes or if he could still steal 30-40 bases a season.
Marte never lost faith in himself, and the Mets, now having seen him playing in the Dominican and working out in Port St. Lucie, believe he can still be the player he was in 2022.
“For sure,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “This is a talented player. You just can see it in the way he’s moving around and the way the ball is coming off his bat with the bat speed and all of that.”
Marte also has a green light once he gets on base, at least for now. Straightline running like he does when stealing bases wasn’t an issue for him last season, as was evidenced by the 24 bags he swiped in 86 games. The lateral movement and the sudden cutting and pivoting in the outfield caused pain.
“Well yeah, that’s part of his game,” Mendoza said. “I’m not sure he’ll be running much early on, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets on and by the first pitch he’s trying to get one. But that will show all of us that he’s feeling really good. Once we get going here and he’s progressing well, he’ll have the green light. We’re going to have those conversations.”